Snip, snip – the skills your toddler needs and develops using scissors

If you have scissors around at home, or if your toddler has seen them at nursery, they might be starting to show some interest in using them. Mastering cutting accurately is hard, your toddler will need to have the control and strength to open and close the scissors with one hand as they move them, while also holding whatever they’re cutting.  

So, what exactly is involved in learning to use scissors and what can help your toddler develop these skills?  

What are these, what do they do? 

You might notice around now that your toddler is interested in scissors, but they don’t have the physical skills to use them. They might use both hands to open and close them and might not be interested in cutting anything as they simply watch how the blades move.  

Opening and closing scissors brings together your toddler’s cognitive, sensory and physical skills as they think about how they can open and close the blades then watch and feel what happens as they do.  

Your toddler will develop all of these skills as they look at and play with lots of different toys and objects, so giving them interesting things to touch, move and chat about will help them develop scissor control – even with no scissors in sight!  

Stronger hands – more control 

As your toddler’s hands get stronger, they will open and close scissors with more control. They might find the scissors (sometimes known as shears) with flat handles easier to use at this point, as they can squeeze with their whole hand (rather than using finger and thumb).  

You can help your toddler get stronger hands in lots of ways – climbing can be great for hand strength as your toddler grips and pulls, as can playing with things like sponges or squeezing water out of cloths.  

One hand does this, and the other hand does that  

When your toddler can confidently use each hand in a different way, this will really help them use scissors. They will be able to use one hand to hold what they’re cutting and the other to use scissors.  

You can help your toddler develop control of movements of each side of their body through things like playing games that involve crawling or climbing using one hand or foot first then the other.  

Are you worried about your toddler having scissors?

Lots of us worry about toddlers having scissors, and we don’t recommend letting them loose with a pair and no supervision at this stage.  

Your toddler is answering the question, “What can I do with this?” as they play; this can lead to them testing to see if the scissors will cut clothes, hair or curtains. Your toddler does not fully understand what can be put back together, and what can’t, or the consequences of their actions.  

So, if your toddler is going to use scissors sometimes, you need to be with them when they have them and put them away when they’ve finished.  But if you can do this, using scissors is a great way to develop fine motor skills.